Psychologists state that the way we view a stress (whether good or bad) reveals how we were programmed to perceive it. Even if something is good, we could be programmed to see it as non-beneficial. Our mental landscape was designed in the first 2 years of life.

For example, if positive stress, such as physical activity, was never encouraged as a child, the child will not perceive the full benefits it has to offer. That neurological pattern was never formed in the brain. The flip side can occur: not having physical activity becomes the norm. As time passes, the thought of working out as an adult may not appear beneficial or fun. The soreness or pain of working out may seem like a detriment, when in fact it is the sign that you are GROWING. We must remember that PAIN can be an indicator of growth. It isn’t that you had a bad experience with working out, you just did not have the program installed to try it from a young age. The PERCEPTION of this stress appears bad, even though in most instances it would be of great help.

In everyday stressful life, it is of great benefit to use physical activity to create nerve patterns in the brain wired for feel good signals. When you do this, your body gets acclimated to SEARCH for more opportunities and activities and stresses that create positive growth. When you train your brain to have regular, healthy adrenaline, cortisol, and dopamine releases from positive activity, your natural instinct and programming will seek out other good sources of stress.

This will affect every aspect of life. You will perceive and get the full benefit from sleep, food, friendships, etc. You will start to see the good in things you never saw before.
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